What Friendship Means to Me
by Mighty Misty
Summary: .: Friendship and love; two of the hardest phenomenons to understand. The lines are vague, the feelings unavoidable, the consequences immeasurable. Can the trio stand the test? :.


**.-* Disclaimer - **I do not own and am not responsible for the characters of Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, etc. I wish I was, then I would "be rich and rule the world!!" Mwahahaha! No, seriously, the people at Nintendo, 4Kids Productions, etc. etc., deserve a pat on the back for these fantastic characters. Sadly, in all truth, I'm just a mere fan of Pokémon, and now a fanfic author. Therefore, the PLOT of this story is mine...don't steal it! I hope you enjoy my stories. Let me know what you think...constructive criticism welcomed in moderation...good comments are nice also **^_^ *-.**

**.-* ©2001 MightyMistyFanfics:o) *-.****  
  
.-*By the one and only Mighty Misty  *-.****  
  
.-*Email me at [GLComet02@aol.com][1] *****-.**

**.-* ****Rated:** PG-13** Type:** Romance/Drama **Ages: **Ash-17 Misty-18 Brock-19 Jessie & James-20 ***-.**

**.-* **Ignore the fact that they were a lot younger when in the Pokémon & Orange Leagues. And forget Tracey. He sucks. Poké-shippy...a little AAMRN, of course, BUT... *dun dun dun* there's BAMR! ::gasp:: Inspired by Pikababy's little BAMRN (Oh how you are ever so inspirational! ^_^), I decided to give it a whirl...***-.**

> **Friendship and love; two of the hardest phenomenons to understand. The lines are vague, the feelings unavoidable, the consequences immeasurable.**
> 
> **Can the trio stand the test?**

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**.-* What Friendship Means to Me *-.**

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**.-CHAPTER 1-.**

**The truth revealed...**

**Ash scratched his head. "Why are we here again?" He said. Misty sighed and looked at him.**

**"We're here because you wanted to battle the gym leader...you aren't scared are you??" she said with a smirk. Ash gulped.**

**"Oh, uh, of course not! Wah, me, scared? Pssh, why would I be scared of a little gym leader?" said Ash, mustering a teeny laugh. Misty giggled, patting him on the back.**

**"It's ok, it's not every day you get to battle for your last badge in the Orange League!"**

**"Hey guys, let's find the Pokémon Center first...get a good night's rest before thinking about battling," said Brock. His stomach growled.**

**"Plus, I'm a little hungry." **

**They traveled a few blocks they came to the Pokémon Center. Brock began his ever-familiar "Oh-a-Nurse-Joy" routine.**

**"Oh, Nurse Joy...you're the prettiest of all the Nurse Joys. Are you related to the Joy in Viridian City because you're much prettier than she is!" said Brock, his cheeks flushed and love in his eyes. Joy smiled.**

**"Welcome to the Pokémon Center. I can take your Pokémon while you get settled for the night. Enjoy your stay!"**

**"Sounds good to me," said Ash.**

**"Me too," agreed Misty.**

**"Uhhh...Nurse Joy..." said Brock, love-stuck. Misty produced a mallet out of nowhere and whacked Brock.**

**"Enough of that! Don't you think we've been through this enough times?"**

**"Ouch! Geez, what's with the violence?" said Brock, sitting on the ground, rubbing his head.**

**"You'll never learn. You know Misty thrives on violence," said Ash with a smile..**

**"I do not!" said Misty, pushing him. He stumbled backward and stifled a laugh.**

**"See?" he said. Him and Brock began to laugh. Misty folded her arms in defiance, but then began to laugh herself.**

**"Sorry 'bout that Brock," she apologized, offering a hand to help him up.**

**"No prob. I'm used to the abuse by now," he replied, grabbing her hand. Her warm, slender fingers enveloped his as she pulled him up. He didn't want to let go. But knew he had to. When he got up, he reluctantly released her welcoming hand. Cold air replaced her loving caress on his fingers.**

**"You okay Brock-o?" questioned Ash. Brock looked at him, eyes wide. He shook his head and regained his composure.**

**"Yeah yeah...head's still a little fuzzy..."**

**Brock stood there a while...thinking...reminiscing...of a time not too long ago. He'd always liked Misty, but knew Ash was number one in her heart.**

**.-* FLASHBACK *-.**

"How can I do this? How??" said Misty, looking up at him.

"You have to just tell him. He needs to know where you stand. He needs to know how you feel," said Brock. Ash had just won the Pokémon League. And he now had the choice to tour with the League...or to continue his travels.

"You'll...we'll lose him if you don't tell him." He embraced her, and took her head in his hands, in a fatherly way.

"You have to let him know how you feel about him."

"But...but he loves Pokémon...this is what makes him happy," she said, grabbing Brock's wrists. A tear ran down her cheek, and Brock quickly wiped it away.

"You make him happy. He cares for you. And he has to know that you feel the same way." Brock said, staring into her beautiful blue-green eyes. She nodded, and turned. Ash was surrounded by reporters, who were inquiring about his recent win. Misty took a deep breath and approached him.

Brock backed away, and stood, watching them.

They conversed for a while, but then he saw Misty grab Ash's hand and saw his eyes grow wide with surprise. They embraced.

Then...then, Ash kissed her.

Brock looked down at the ground. He felt a sudden tug at his heart. A hurtful twinge.

Jealousy.

**.-* END of FLASHBACK *-.**

**Brock sighed in thought. _It doesn't matter how I feel,_ thought Brock to himself. _ It doesn't mean a thing._**

**That night, as usual, Ash and Misty shared a room, while Brock had his own. He lied in his bed, hands behind his head, looking idly at the ceiling. _Ash has it so easy,_ he thought. _ I've tried so hard to get into a relationship, and he has one with his best friend fall right into his lap._ Brock sighed at the thought. He considered himself to be a reasonable, loving guy. So why was it that no one ever seemed to fall for HIM? It was always someone else...even his best friends.**

**Just then, he heard a soft knock on his door. Puzzled, he got up and swung it open. There stood Misty, sniffling, eyes red and wet with tears.**

**Misty.**

**"Brock...I, I...Ash...we had...a fight." Brock looked at her sympathetically and quickly embraced her. She let herself get lost in his arms, sobbing and shaking her head. **

**"Come in Misty, let's talk about this, okay?" Misty nodded in agreement.**

**Misty sat down on Brock's bed and proceeded to tell the whole story. Ever since Misty and Ash had expressed their feelings for each other, they had been pretty much inseparable. After all, she was the main reason Ash decided not to travel with the Pokémon League. But apparently, Ash was having second thoughts about it...about the League, and about them.**

**"It's like...I...don't matter to him anymore. He's so into his training and everything...it's like...he doesn't have time for me. Like he doesn't want me anymore. And I told him that, but he...he yelled at me and said that I was...overreacting. That I was being selfish. That...that I always wanted his attention, every minute of every day...God Brock, what have I done??" Brock looked over at her, as she searched his eyes for an answer. He had one, but not the one she wanted. **

**"You haven't done anything. You've been the girlfriend...I wish I had..." There, he said it. He couldn't believe he had..._I must be crazy_, he thought. _She's going to go run out of here appalled or something._**

**"W-what?" said Misty, her face turning from sorrow to shock.**

**"Ash is crazy for not wanting to spend more time with you. He's damn crazy. And stupid." _Stop stop STOP!_ Brock ordered himself...but he was too far in now.**

**"He obviously doesn't realize a good thing when he sees it. He's taking advantage of that, and...well, in my opinion...you don't deserve that. And he doesn't deserve you. If all you want is a little attention, you should have it. If that's how he's going to act...you're way too good for him." _Way to lay it on thick, smart guy,_ he criticized. Misty stared into his eyes, dumbfounded.**

**"Well, I, uh...I'm not exactly sure what to say back to something like that."**

**"You don't have to," he reassured her. "You don't have to say anything. I'm just telling you the truth. If he doesn't want you, doesn't want to spend time with you, he's an idiot. He's a fool. He's going to let probably the greatest thing that he'll ever know slip right through his fingers. If I was him right now, I'd be doing everything in my power to show you that I cared and that you meant the world to me." _If I was him...if only I was him..._ he repeated in his mind.**

**"Gosh Brock..." said Misty, obviously flattered, and a little embarrassed. She looked down at her hands and fiddled with them nervously. She wiped away the few tears that still rested on her cheeks, sniffling a little. He didn't know what to do. He just sat, unable to move, to think, to do just about anything. He just looked at her. How Ash was hurting her. How...how she loved Ash more than she could ever love him.**

**_Why did I do this? This isn't helping her...not at all. I just told my best friend's girlfriend that I like her...more or less, anyways. God, what am I DOING? _He turned it over in his head, over and over...he couldn't believe all he'd just said. _It just kind of...came out. I'm sure it won't mean anything to her. I'm sure she'll just think that I'm being nice, just trying to make her feel better,_ he reassured himself.**

**That is, until Misty looked up. Her beautiful blue-green eyes met his, and she sat there, searching his eyes...for something. She looked so beautiful there, next to him...he'd have given anything to just touch her. But, Misty picked that exact moment to do the unthinkable.**

**She kissed him.**

**In an instant, her dainty arms fell around his neck, the warm touch so soothing that if he hadn't been sitting, he would have fallen to his knees. She pulled him closer, passionately embracing him as they held on to the kiss. He quickly returned the kiss, letting his strong, dark arms wrap around her back, as they held each other, there in the dimly lit bedroom. In that moment, it was like magic. Like something that had been fighting so hard to surface finally had, and it all felt so right.**

**And yet...so wrong.**

**Out of the corner of his eye, Brock saw the door move, and light from the hallway filled the room. Before he could do anything, he saw a head peek around the corner. "Misty...I..."**

**Ash stopped mid-sentence. Brock saw his face contort into the worst form of anger he'd ever seen. Brock wanted to die, right there. _How am I going to explain THIS_, he thought. _Ash is never going to talk to me again. _**

**"What the HELL is going on here?!?" Ash demanded. Both Brock and Misty were speechless. Both sat in shock, as Ash's eyes seemed to turn red with rage. **

**"I can't believe this! My BEST FRIEND making out with my GIRLFRIEND?! I really can't believe this is happening!" he screamed, so loudly that Brock was sure Nurse Joy would come to investigate at any moment.**

**"Ash, I'm sorry, I...I..." Brock was at a loss for words. He knew nothing he could say would help anything, but probably make it worse, if nothing else. Misty continued.**

**"Ash, this wasn't Brock's fault, it was mine. I started it. It's all my fault," she confessed, trying with all her might to keep from bursting into tears. She stood up and proceeded to the door.**

**"Oh no no NO, I wouldn't want to interrupt you two, go on...do what you want. I can't imagine splitting you apart when you are OBVIOUSLY having a good time alone. PLEASE continue, I'll just let myself out," Ash said, his comment heavy with intense sarcasm. He turned on his heels and slammed the door so hard that the picture on the wall fell to the floor with a crash. **

**"Misty...I...we..." Brock started, but then realized that he had absolutely nothing positive to say. Misty eyes began to water as she walked to the door. She opened it slowly, and looked back at Brock, tears streaming down her cheeks once again. She bowed her head and left the room, closing the door ever so quietly.**

**With that, Brock flopped on his bed. He never could have imagined what had happened...what he'd said, what he'd done, how she'd kissed him, how Ash had reacted...it all flooded his mind. He felt dizzy and nauseous. And all of a sudden, the tears came.**

   [1]: mailto:GLComet02@aol.com



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